EPT
Did you hear? Jaedong has made the finals at last! Many predicted that his series against Rain would prevent him from climbing the final step, alas Jaedong showed that for all his macro skills, Rain was extremely susceptible to mind games, and prepared amazingly well. He dominated the series, beating Rain 4-0 and varying up his playstyle in every single game. It looks like the Jaedong of old is back!
On the other side, Last also ended up upsetting Soulkey. Many figured a ZvT expert such as Soulkey would be able to beat Last, but Last showed that his scrappy 1-1-1 build variations are strong enough to destroy the iron wall of Soulkey and is looking at his first finals appearance in years. Two fantastic series that are a must watch for any BW fan, and that have been recapped by Ty2 below.
This set up a Jaedong vs Last finals which is set to start in . With the Tyrant finding his stride and looking like his old self, can he finally grab a trophy for himself, or will Last shake off the ghosts of his past and get himself his own trophy in the post-KeSPA era? Only one way to find out! Read the preview of the finals from both perspectives by Ty2 and FlaShFTW then get ready to rumbleeeeeeeeeee!
Liquipedia
Jaedong the Unbelievable
When the series started, no one, not even the most diehard of JD fans could have predicted the outcome. When the series had concluded, Jaedong not only won, but won a dominating 4-0 vs. Rain. You heard right. 4-0. So, how did Jaedong do it? For starters, there was no luck involved. What was seen was near-Flash levels of preparation and series play out of Jaedong. Furthermore, in recent memory, we haven't seen a more terrifying display of a playstyle getting picked apart.
Jaedong himself in the post-match interview said he wanted to use Rain's tendency to play safe as a part of his strategy. Due to being sick over the weekend, Jaedong image trained - constantly thinking of the builds, his opponent, and how the game would play out. Through that preparation and accounting of his opponent, Jaedong crafted an impeccable series plan. He poked and prodded Rain's paranoia of his mutalisks and even mixed his own improvisation to throw Rain off. In the end, Jaedong let Rain's safety be the very danger that defeated him.
Game 1 on Fighting Spirit:
Jaedong spawns in the top right while Rain spawns in the bottom right. Rain kicks off the game with a 1 gate fast expand versus Jaedong's overpool. Rain is doing the same build on the same map that felled Jaedong the last time they met. However, history is not repeated. Jaedong, instead of defending Rain's first zealot, sends his lings into Rain's main. By doing so, he forces Rain to play safe, keeping back two of his zealots. Meanwhile, he eventually whittles down Rain's offensive zealot with reinforcements.
In the ensuing chaos, Jaedong prioritizes picking off probes in Rain's main. His lings at home are out of position and mismicroed, but Jaedong eventually deals with Rain's continued zealot aggression. At the end of the ordeal, Jaedong manages to rise to the top. Capitalizing on his advantage, he goes 3 hatch hydra. Jaedong's classic play for the first game is to sow seeds of fear for later games onward. Already having zerglings with speed, he's completely cut off scouting for Rain who's in the dark. Rain is also tempted to do the standard 4-5 zealot push.
Jaedong, anticipating the move, has made a little over a control group of Zerglings. Rain feels secure to move out having made two cannons. However, the decision is quickly regretted as both cannons are killed in the ling backstab. Rain retreats urgently while Jaedong's hydralisks are on the way.
Jaedong microes his hydras while Rain dances his zealots and probes back and forth to buy time for his cannons. Jaedong continues the onslaught, making more hydras and lings. Back at home, he's already added on hatcheries and an evo chamber. The ensuing battle sees several cannons destroyed and remade and several probes killed. When the dust finally settles, Jaedong comes out astronomically ahead.
Rain attempts to recoup his losses, attempting two failed storm drops. Rain later makes several futile attempts to break out of Jaedong's impregnable lurker contain. Several tired minutes later after losing most of his army, Rain finally admits defeat.
Game 2 on Blue Storm:
Jaedong after opening overpool does a failed 6 ling runby, managing to squeeze only 2 lings in. Then, Jaedong does a 3 hatch ling all-in to followup. Most players wouldn't consider following aggression with aggression, especially after a failed ling runby. That is not the case with Jaedong, who, out of instinct, snuffed out opportunity in the air.
Unfortunately, his intentions are uncovered by a scouting probe. Jaedong with only 6 lings at Rain's natural attempts to do a premature ling bust. Sadly, the lings die a deflating death while Rain is given time to prepare for the next wave of lings. Then, Jaedong picks off a blocking probe to get a ling surround on the lone defending cannon. Jaedong's lings eventually wear down Rain's defences to claim a quick game.
![[image loading]](https://imgur.com/6hHAEMf.jpg)
death by mass tier 1 units
Game 3 on Fortress SE:
Jaedong opens 6 lings after overpool once again, but this time uses his lings to hunt the scout. Meanwhile, the cautious Rain makes two cannons. Jaedong continually denies the scout to play on Rain's paranoia of another potential hydra, or even ling bust. Contrarily, the game doesn't go either way as Jaedong opens 3 hatch spire. Rain confirms so by sending out zealots to distract Jaedong's lings to sneak a probe into Jaedong's main. Rain, not giving into JD's initial mind games stays headstrong so far.
Surviving the early game, Rain's attention shifts to his scouting corsair. He sees Jaedong with a fast second gas after his initial 4th and 5th hatches. Rain immediately assumes mutas considering Jaedong's affinity and masterful use of the unit. He makes three, then four more cannons while Jaedong happily drones. Through fear alone, Jaedong has established total map control while Rain's corsairs idly sit home.
Few other protoss would make as many cannons as Rain did, and Jaedong anticipated that to gain a sizable advantage. Then, Rain's predictable corsair moveout was done in by Jaedong's +1 air carapace upgraded scourge. Jaedong at this point was snowballing in drone count as all of Rain's attempts at aggression failed.
Rain's only success is a DT run-by in JD's main. Then, Rain trying to dictate the pace does a high templar zealot attack. JD is more than prepared, defending with hydras and sunkens. Then, Rain transitions to a powerful dragoon army and attempts several more drops. Rain's efforts are met with mixed results, killing only a handful of drones, but his shuttles felled by scourge.
Rain then moves to pressuring Jaedong's third while Jaedong counterdrops Rain's island base. Rain is forced back onto 3 bases, and in desperation tries to shuttle ferry his army into JD's fourth. At the same time, JD lurker drops Rain's natural to kill several probes.
Rain attempts a last-ditch attack at Jaedong's third, but the remnants of his army are whittled down by Jaedong's hordes of cracklings. His last ember of promise extinguished, Rain concedes.
Game 4 on Roadkill:
In the fourth game of the series, Rain poses his greatest stand yet. Or, rather, Jaedong lets Rain stand for the first time since the series has started.
The game unlike others involves no trickery whatsoever. Both players open as standard as can be - Rain doing forge expand and Jaedong opting for 3 base spire. Jaedong, taking to macro early on makes a quick 6th hatch. Meanwhile, Rain does the same build as game 3, making a fast templar archives, corsairs, and DTs.
Jaedong takes the initiative with a hydra push, but Rain is more than prepared. His defence is complete with cannons and storm researched for high templar. The cross positions of the players further tempers Jaedong's aggression. At the same time, Rain picks off Jaedong's stray overlords with his corsairs for a promising midgame. Momentum building, Rain quickly repels JD's hydras, and then pushes to the exposed fourth at the mineral only. During the quick hit and run attempt of JD's fourth, Jaedong pulls off the play of the series; he body blocks zealots by morphing hydras into lurker eggs.
![[image loading]](https://imgur.com/D1qKBp8.jpg)
can't get past this
The double edged sword of an attack leaves Jaedong and Rain's supplies perilously close - a testament to Jaedong's larger than life mechanics. Rain meanwhile takes a late 3rd, his 2 base attack failing to deal devastating damage. As Jaedong's army fast approaches, he makes his most tactically ambitious play yet. While setting up lurkers outside of Rain's natural, Jaedong funnels units into Rain's third. However, the attack quickly peters out as Rain assumes a supply lead once again.
Finally having the game go his way, Rain pounces to counterattack. He attacks Jaedong's third, and camps dragoons at the bottom of Jaedong's fourth to attack drones on the high ground. Jaedong suffers several blows as he is brought to his lowest point in the game yet, but survives. His only saving grace is a scourge snipe of the observer leaving his lone lurker at the third uncontested.
![[image loading]](https://imgur.com/nViuULy.jpg)
the drones never saw it coming
Rain regroups his units, constantly besieging the fourth base's mining. In the meantime, he attempts to take his mineral only himself only to get shut down by roaming cracklings. Rain vies for map control, sweeping up and down for whatever storms he can get off. Jaedong meanwhile imparts a few units to defend a fifth base at another main which attracts Rain's attention. Rain's robust army of archons is then whittled down by the handful of defending units. A pyrrhic victory; Rain takes down JD's fourth, but his main army is cleaned up.
In the wake of the loss, Rain attempts a storm drop while Jaedong burrows a lurker at the bottom of Rain's mineral only to kill probes. At this point, Jaedong's supply far outstrips even that of the macro juggernaut Rain. Rain's fervent attempts at denying Jaedong's precious fifth have only backfired, leaving him with armies smaller than the last.
Jaedong's use of defilers, lurkers, and especially cracklings is tearing away at Rain's army. In complete domination, Jaedong takes another base, plagues Rain's army, and sends waves of units to force Rain to concede.
![[image loading]](https://imgur.com/3mbh1hQ.jpg)
He came, he saw, he conquered
Closing Thoughts:
Wow, what a series. Jaedong this time around had an entire platter served: a hydra bust into macro game, ling bust, muta fake-out into turtle zerg, and finally a clean-cut macro game. The scope and breadth of which Jaedong used his strategic arsenal was boundless and incredibly refined at the same time. Not only did he have great strategic sense, but also inhuman mechanics to match them. The fourth game was exemplary of Jaedong's macro, staying on par and at times exceeding Rain's supply. Inexplicably, his wrist problems appear to be a remnant of the past. At the very least, we can all be assured that the tyrant is back in full force to make another mark on history.
Jaedong himself in the post-match interview said he wanted to use Rain's tendency to play safe as a part of his strategy. Due to being sick over the weekend, Jaedong image trained - constantly thinking of the builds, his opponent, and how the game would play out. Through that preparation and accounting of his opponent, Jaedong crafted an impeccable series plan. He poked and prodded Rain's paranoia of his mutalisks and even mixed his own improvisation to throw Rain off. In the end, Jaedong let Rain's safety be the very danger that defeated him.
Game 1 on Fighting Spirit:
Jaedong spawns in the top right while Rain spawns in the bottom right. Rain kicks off the game with a 1 gate fast expand versus Jaedong's overpool. Rain is doing the same build on the same map that felled Jaedong the last time they met. However, history is not repeated. Jaedong, instead of defending Rain's first zealot, sends his lings into Rain's main. By doing so, he forces Rain to play safe, keeping back two of his zealots. Meanwhile, he eventually whittles down Rain's offensive zealot with reinforcements.
In the ensuing chaos, Jaedong prioritizes picking off probes in Rain's main. His lings at home are out of position and mismicroed, but Jaedong eventually deals with Rain's continued zealot aggression. At the end of the ordeal, Jaedong manages to rise to the top. Capitalizing on his advantage, he goes 3 hatch hydra. Jaedong's classic play for the first game is to sow seeds of fear for later games onward. Already having zerglings with speed, he's completely cut off scouting for Rain who's in the dark. Rain is also tempted to do the standard 4-5 zealot push.
Jaedong, anticipating the move, has made a little over a control group of Zerglings. Rain feels secure to move out having made two cannons. However, the decision is quickly regretted as both cannons are killed in the ling backstab. Rain retreats urgently while Jaedong's hydralisks are on the way.
Jaedong microes his hydras while Rain dances his zealots and probes back and forth to buy time for his cannons. Jaedong continues the onslaught, making more hydras and lings. Back at home, he's already added on hatcheries and an evo chamber. The ensuing battle sees several cannons destroyed and remade and several probes killed. When the dust finally settles, Jaedong comes out astronomically ahead.
Rain attempts to recoup his losses, attempting two failed storm drops. Rain later makes several futile attempts to break out of Jaedong's impregnable lurker contain. Several tired minutes later after losing most of his army, Rain finally admits defeat.
Game 2 on Blue Storm:
Jaedong after opening overpool does a failed 6 ling runby, managing to squeeze only 2 lings in. Then, Jaedong does a 3 hatch ling all-in to followup. Most players wouldn't consider following aggression with aggression, especially after a failed ling runby. That is not the case with Jaedong, who, out of instinct, snuffed out opportunity in the air.
Unfortunately, his intentions are uncovered by a scouting probe. Jaedong with only 6 lings at Rain's natural attempts to do a premature ling bust. Sadly, the lings die a deflating death while Rain is given time to prepare for the next wave of lings. Then, Jaedong picks off a blocking probe to get a ling surround on the lone defending cannon. Jaedong's lings eventually wear down Rain's defences to claim a quick game.
death by mass tier 1 units
Game 3 on Fortress SE:
Jaedong opens 6 lings after overpool once again, but this time uses his lings to hunt the scout. Meanwhile, the cautious Rain makes two cannons. Jaedong continually denies the scout to play on Rain's paranoia of another potential hydra, or even ling bust. Contrarily, the game doesn't go either way as Jaedong opens 3 hatch spire. Rain confirms so by sending out zealots to distract Jaedong's lings to sneak a probe into Jaedong's main. Rain, not giving into JD's initial mind games stays headstrong so far.
Surviving the early game, Rain's attention shifts to his scouting corsair. He sees Jaedong with a fast second gas after his initial 4th and 5th hatches. Rain immediately assumes mutas considering Jaedong's affinity and masterful use of the unit. He makes three, then four more cannons while Jaedong happily drones. Through fear alone, Jaedong has established total map control while Rain's corsairs idly sit home.
Few other protoss would make as many cannons as Rain did, and Jaedong anticipated that to gain a sizable advantage. Then, Rain's predictable corsair moveout was done in by Jaedong's +1 air carapace upgraded scourge. Jaedong at this point was snowballing in drone count as all of Rain's attempts at aggression failed.
Rain's only success is a DT run-by in JD's main. Then, Rain trying to dictate the pace does a high templar zealot attack. JD is more than prepared, defending with hydras and sunkens. Then, Rain transitions to a powerful dragoon army and attempts several more drops. Rain's efforts are met with mixed results, killing only a handful of drones, but his shuttles felled by scourge.
Rain then moves to pressuring Jaedong's third while Jaedong counterdrops Rain's island base. Rain is forced back onto 3 bases, and in desperation tries to shuttle ferry his army into JD's fourth. At the same time, JD lurker drops Rain's natural to kill several probes.
Rain attempts a last-ditch attack at Jaedong's third, but the remnants of his army are whittled down by Jaedong's hordes of cracklings. His last ember of promise extinguished, Rain concedes.
Game 4 on Roadkill:
In the fourth game of the series, Rain poses his greatest stand yet. Or, rather, Jaedong lets Rain stand for the first time since the series has started.
The game unlike others involves no trickery whatsoever. Both players open as standard as can be - Rain doing forge expand and Jaedong opting for 3 base spire. Jaedong, taking to macro early on makes a quick 6th hatch. Meanwhile, Rain does the same build as game 3, making a fast templar archives, corsairs, and DTs.
Jaedong takes the initiative with a hydra push, but Rain is more than prepared. His defence is complete with cannons and storm researched for high templar. The cross positions of the players further tempers Jaedong's aggression. At the same time, Rain picks off Jaedong's stray overlords with his corsairs for a promising midgame. Momentum building, Rain quickly repels JD's hydras, and then pushes to the exposed fourth at the mineral only. During the quick hit and run attempt of JD's fourth, Jaedong pulls off the play of the series; he body blocks zealots by morphing hydras into lurker eggs.
can't get past this
The double edged sword of an attack leaves Jaedong and Rain's supplies perilously close - a testament to Jaedong's larger than life mechanics. Rain meanwhile takes a late 3rd, his 2 base attack failing to deal devastating damage. As Jaedong's army fast approaches, he makes his most tactically ambitious play yet. While setting up lurkers outside of Rain's natural, Jaedong funnels units into Rain's third. However, the attack quickly peters out as Rain assumes a supply lead once again.
Finally having the game go his way, Rain pounces to counterattack. He attacks Jaedong's third, and camps dragoons at the bottom of Jaedong's fourth to attack drones on the high ground. Jaedong suffers several blows as he is brought to his lowest point in the game yet, but survives. His only saving grace is a scourge snipe of the observer leaving his lone lurker at the third uncontested.
the drones never saw it coming
Rain regroups his units, constantly besieging the fourth base's mining. In the meantime, he attempts to take his mineral only himself only to get shut down by roaming cracklings. Rain vies for map control, sweeping up and down for whatever storms he can get off. Jaedong meanwhile imparts a few units to defend a fifth base at another main which attracts Rain's attention. Rain's robust army of archons is then whittled down by the handful of defending units. A pyrrhic victory; Rain takes down JD's fourth, but his main army is cleaned up.
In the wake of the loss, Rain attempts a storm drop while Jaedong burrows a lurker at the bottom of Rain's mineral only to kill probes. At this point, Jaedong's supply far outstrips even that of the macro juggernaut Rain. Rain's fervent attempts at denying Jaedong's precious fifth have only backfired, leaving him with armies smaller than the last.
Jaedong's use of defilers, lurkers, and especially cracklings is tearing away at Rain's army. In complete domination, Jaedong takes another base, plagues Rain's army, and sends waves of units to force Rain to concede.
He came, he saw, he conquered
Closing Thoughts:
Wow, what a series. Jaedong this time around had an entire platter served: a hydra bust into macro game, ling bust, muta fake-out into turtle zerg, and finally a clean-cut macro game. The scope and breadth of which Jaedong used his strategic arsenal was boundless and incredibly refined at the same time. Not only did he have great strategic sense, but also inhuman mechanics to match them. The fourth game was exemplary of Jaedong's macro, staying on par and at times exceeding Rain's supply. Inexplicably, his wrist problems appear to be a remnant of the past. At the very least, we can all be assured that the tyrant is back in full force to make another mark on history.
Crazy People, Crazier Games
The stage was set for two of the top players to come to a head. For both, the KSL had been an exceptional run amidst the early exits of the ASL. On one hand, you had Soulkey, master ZvT'er, and on the other side, Last, contesting Flash as the best Terran. Coincidentally, both have always topped the sponsored game charts, but vastly under-performed in both ASL 4 and 5. Finally, one would prove to the other who was going to make their breakout performance.
Game 1 on Circuit Breaker:
Soulkey in the top right opens 2 hatch lair while Last in the bottom right does a 1-1-1 opening. An interesting variation of the 1-1-1 is exhibited by Last's addition of a second starport after expanding. Soulkey does a variation himself, getting a quick 3rd hatch and spending most of his larvae on drones. Soulkey opts not to commit heavily to aggression, instead having a strong economy to fall back on while forcing turrets out from Last.
Slowly building his muta count, he begins harassing Last's natural. He takes a few committed swipes, killing a few SCVs and a turret, but loses two mutas in the process. An awfully strange move, Soulkey perhaps committed to harass to convince Last he wasn't going to do a committed turret bust of the main with weakened mutas. Then again, Soulkey could've just been overly bold.
Soon after, Soulkey moves the lings in for the kill. A heavy commitment by Soulkey, he's looking to take advantage of Last's teching for a timing attack. However, the attack falls flat on its face against Last's numerous turrets. Last even places his barracks to obstruct the ling runby, fully predicting the attack.
The game now stabilized, Soulkey begins to drone and expand to a third. Last meanwhile moves to push Soulkey while he's still on mutas. Soulkey takes a decent engagement and whittles down the bio ball enough afterwards to force Last back. Here Soulkey's fast +1 carapace is a critical factor in trading efficiently. His +1 carapace is revealed to further compliment his ultras, skipping lurkers entirely. The crazy Zerg vs. the 1-1-1 opening is a bold strategy by Soulkey, shown for the first time in an offline match. Last attempts to attack while ultras are just coming out, but is held back.
In the transition, Last expands to a third while raising another bio army. The next engagement is taken in the middle of the map. There, Soulkey rushes his ultras into a hail of marine fire while his mutas and scourge take down several vessels. The move appears clever, but is quickly turned on its head by Last as he pushes into Soulkey's natural. The weakened ultras are quickly turned to mush as Soulkey hangs on for dear life. Last reinforces constantly, helped further by the vertical rush distance of Circuit Breaker. Eventually, Last's snowballing bio force overwhelms Soulkey.
Looking back, Soulkey's strategy of going straight for ultras is smart for a few reasons. He's making the rigid immobility of tanks defunct versus Ultras. Additionally, he's abusing the window of a tame early to midgame to tech to ultras safely where Last doesn't have many bio units. The reliance of upgraded lings corresponds to the 1-1-1's late upgrade timing compared to a fast engineering bay build. In spite of his cleverness, his ambitious engagement mid-map and his refusal to transition to defilers is befuddling. On the other hand, perhaps it would've cut into his ultra count too much, but he already had upwards of 7 ultras.
Game 2 on Polaris:
Soulkey strikes first, sending lings to the top left. In anticipation of a proxy barracks, Soulkey opens overpool, but Last did a normal opening. Last, caught off guard, loses 2 SCVs, and some mining time. Soulkey meanwhile transitions into 2 hatch spire. Contrary to the previous game, Soulkey goes for hydras and only makes two scourge to mind game Last. The vigilant Last scouts the speed hydras en route with his wraith, making a second bunker on time. For Soulkey, the hydras are an incredible commitment, having only 13 drones mining minerals back home.
Soulkey refuses to relent, pushing into Last's natural. His hydras deal disappointing damage as the attack quickly fizzles out. After a brief pause, Soulkey does a hydra drop. Last retreats his wraiths that were mid-map. The attack only manages to do mediocre damage. Soulkey isn't finished yet, adding another topping, this time a muta transition. Surprisingly, the attack looks promising.
Shortly after though, several mutas are lost after a disastrous runby. Soulkey is all-in not teching at home, but the wall of turrets and now vessels spells Soulkey's doom. This game felt rather impulsive and almost confusing.
Game 3 on Fighting Spirit:
Soulkey does yet another 2 hatch lair into 3 hatch muta versus Last's 1-1-1 into 2 starport build. This time Soulkey manages to set a world record for worst muta aggression. He dives into Last's natural with mutas and scourge, looking to kill science vessels. A science vessel casts irradiate on the mutas while Last casts mind control on Soulkey. His mutas strangely linger, and the control group of mutas start attacking their own. The end result is the scourge exploding on one of their own mutas. Then, almost dumbfounded, as if the mutas were processing what had just happened, they lingers for 1-2 seconds all while turrets are firing away. In a matter of 10 seconds, Soulkey traded 4 mutas and a scourge for 1 scv and a marine.
By some miracle though, Soulkey brings the game back with a mass ling attack, saved perhaps only by Last's choice to make siege tanks. At the very least, Soulkey's hydra aggression in game 2 could have prompted Last to make the tanks.
Soulkey back in the driver's seat raises another muta flock while teching to ultras like in game 1. Soulkey after dropping the ball drops the ball once again in a disastrous ultra engagement. He sets up his ultra surround on Last's army, but the execution is botched - ultras get stuck behind other ultras. Last seizing the moment does another death push, constantly reinforcing his bio ball. Last even gets a medic wall to cage the Ultras. This time though, Soulkey manages to put a halt to the all-in after a tense back and forth few minutes. Last GGs.
![[image loading]](https://imgur.com/Yr3Gpke.jpg)
Medics beating ultras
Game 4 on Gladiator:
Soulkey and Last open another 2 hatch lair vs. 1-1-1, but Soulkey deceives us all. Last runs the SCV away after confirming the lair, but Soulkey quickly cancels the lair for a quick 2 hatch hydra. The mind game is in full swing to take advantage of Last's 2 starport followup. To make matters worse, Last even lifts the factory off to the entrance of his natural. When the hydras show up, Last pulls his SCVs and has to re-lift the factory. Numerous SCVs are picked off, Soulkey gladly tanking the marine shots. Then, Soulkey does a push-in determined to kill the bunker. The bunker against all expectations stays alive, only two shots away from dying at one point.
![[image loading]](https://imgur.com/KvVnC2v.jpg)
Trying to outdo the mutas
Soulkey is thrown into a brief panic, having lost a game that couldn't have gone his way anymore. Last's wraiths pick off numerous drones as Soulkey does another hydra push. This time though, Last has tanks. Soulkey is content picking off only SCVs. Contrarily, the game's more even than previously thought. Last's SCV count is sparse, and despite losing several drones to wraiths, Soulkey remains ahead. He transitions into a mass lair army of hydras, lurkers, and lings. Soulkey destroys Last's tank push with Last conceding the game shortly after.
Game 5 on Roadkill:
Soulkey, greatly fearing an 8-rax on the close rush distances of Roadkill opens 12 hatch 11 pool, instead of the more common 13. Last meanwhile mind games Soulkey, going command center first. Soulkey was not only behind by one stretch, but two.
Soulkey's now unoptimal 3 hatch muta faces the full wrath of the +1 5-rax. Soulkey in the tenuous midgame opts for a ninja base. In a situation where he can't lose any units, he ends up throwing away half a control group of zerglings. Soulkey lacks confidence at picking off Last's marine groups letting the marine ball reinforce and grow unstoppable.
Then, Last does a siege tank push catching Soulkey by surprise. Soulkey's mutas and lings are out of position, allowing the siege tanks to go across the map uncontested. Siege tanks at Soulkey's natural force the engagement out of Soulkey. As expected, the Zerg units melt, losing the game for Soulkey.
Game 6 on Blue Storm:
Soulkey goes 2 hatch muta, but this time doesn't make a 3rd hatch, opting for 6 fast mutas. He goes up against Last, who once again does 1-1-1 and a two starport followup. Soulkey in another aggressive mind game shows the 6 mutas, but does a 2 hatch hydra followup. The perilously low economy play puts everything on the line. While the hydras are en route, Last privy to Soulkey's shenanigans has an SCV in the path, unveiling the hydras. Last positions all of his SCVs around his bunker knowing Soulkey's only option is to attack or fall behind. Soulkey's doomed attack fails as expected. In the grim aftermath, Soulkey proves to be no match for the followup push. Last advances to the finals!
Closing Thoughts:
Soulkey always appears on the precipice of the success and glory his play demands. Yet, it never quite comes, and it certainly didn't against Last. A promising player like Snow in BW's twilight years, he had a successful sc2 career afterwards. Returning to BW, he was again a rising talent. In his formative years, he brought Flash to the fifth and the series deciding game before losing. His only major achievement is taking first place at the WEGL Super Fight where he beat Flash in the semifinals. He's a ZvT prodigy and one of the very best, topping the sponsored game charts consistently above Jaedong. Yet, when the moment matters the most, Soulkey in spirit vanishes. He trembles, fears the outcome of loss, and grows unsteady, his mentality fickle.
He's not the dominant king of Zerg and top contender people believe him to be. However, where he lacks in competitive gait, he shows the promise and hopes of all competitors. The difference is that he knows he's only a hairsbreadth away. He just hasn't taken the last step though. He walks the path where the leaves are trodden. Jaedong himself took a stroll just recently. But for Soulkey, like all others, he must walk his own path in facing his challenges.
Conversely, Last, on the other side of the coin, has triumphed. When was the last time Last progressed beyond the Ro16 in an offline tournament? Sonic Starleague 10, where he came so far only to lose to Ssak. Wow, that was a long time ago. Always in the top 5 of sponsored rankings, he's never been able to replicate his online success to the offline stage. How appropriate for his opponent to be Soulkey then. In the KSL so far his play has been nothing short of gripping, displaying a remarkable performance in his mentality and series play. Here, Last has finally broken the offline curse.
Game 1 on Circuit Breaker:
Soulkey in the top right opens 2 hatch lair while Last in the bottom right does a 1-1-1 opening. An interesting variation of the 1-1-1 is exhibited by Last's addition of a second starport after expanding. Soulkey does a variation himself, getting a quick 3rd hatch and spending most of his larvae on drones. Soulkey opts not to commit heavily to aggression, instead having a strong economy to fall back on while forcing turrets out from Last.
Slowly building his muta count, he begins harassing Last's natural. He takes a few committed swipes, killing a few SCVs and a turret, but loses two mutas in the process. An awfully strange move, Soulkey perhaps committed to harass to convince Last he wasn't going to do a committed turret bust of the main with weakened mutas. Then again, Soulkey could've just been overly bold.
Soon after, Soulkey moves the lings in for the kill. A heavy commitment by Soulkey, he's looking to take advantage of Last's teching for a timing attack. However, the attack falls flat on its face against Last's numerous turrets. Last even places his barracks to obstruct the ling runby, fully predicting the attack.
The game now stabilized, Soulkey begins to drone and expand to a third. Last meanwhile moves to push Soulkey while he's still on mutas. Soulkey takes a decent engagement and whittles down the bio ball enough afterwards to force Last back. Here Soulkey's fast +1 carapace is a critical factor in trading efficiently. His +1 carapace is revealed to further compliment his ultras, skipping lurkers entirely. The crazy Zerg vs. the 1-1-1 opening is a bold strategy by Soulkey, shown for the first time in an offline match. Last attempts to attack while ultras are just coming out, but is held back.
In the transition, Last expands to a third while raising another bio army. The next engagement is taken in the middle of the map. There, Soulkey rushes his ultras into a hail of marine fire while his mutas and scourge take down several vessels. The move appears clever, but is quickly turned on its head by Last as he pushes into Soulkey's natural. The weakened ultras are quickly turned to mush as Soulkey hangs on for dear life. Last reinforces constantly, helped further by the vertical rush distance of Circuit Breaker. Eventually, Last's snowballing bio force overwhelms Soulkey.
Looking back, Soulkey's strategy of going straight for ultras is smart for a few reasons. He's making the rigid immobility of tanks defunct versus Ultras. Additionally, he's abusing the window of a tame early to midgame to tech to ultras safely where Last doesn't have many bio units. The reliance of upgraded lings corresponds to the 1-1-1's late upgrade timing compared to a fast engineering bay build. In spite of his cleverness, his ambitious engagement mid-map and his refusal to transition to defilers is befuddling. On the other hand, perhaps it would've cut into his ultra count too much, but he already had upwards of 7 ultras.
Game 2 on Polaris:
Soulkey strikes first, sending lings to the top left. In anticipation of a proxy barracks, Soulkey opens overpool, but Last did a normal opening. Last, caught off guard, loses 2 SCVs, and some mining time. Soulkey meanwhile transitions into 2 hatch spire. Contrary to the previous game, Soulkey goes for hydras and only makes two scourge to mind game Last. The vigilant Last scouts the speed hydras en route with his wraith, making a second bunker on time. For Soulkey, the hydras are an incredible commitment, having only 13 drones mining minerals back home.
Soulkey refuses to relent, pushing into Last's natural. His hydras deal disappointing damage as the attack quickly fizzles out. After a brief pause, Soulkey does a hydra drop. Last retreats his wraiths that were mid-map. The attack only manages to do mediocre damage. Soulkey isn't finished yet, adding another topping, this time a muta transition. Surprisingly, the attack looks promising.
Shortly after though, several mutas are lost after a disastrous runby. Soulkey is all-in not teching at home, but the wall of turrets and now vessels spells Soulkey's doom. This game felt rather impulsive and almost confusing.
Game 3 on Fighting Spirit:
Soulkey does yet another 2 hatch lair into 3 hatch muta versus Last's 1-1-1 into 2 starport build. This time Soulkey manages to set a world record for worst muta aggression. He dives into Last's natural with mutas and scourge, looking to kill science vessels. A science vessel casts irradiate on the mutas while Last casts mind control on Soulkey. His mutas strangely linger, and the control group of mutas start attacking their own. The end result is the scourge exploding on one of their own mutas. Then, almost dumbfounded, as if the mutas were processing what had just happened, they lingers for 1-2 seconds all while turrets are firing away. In a matter of 10 seconds, Soulkey traded 4 mutas and a scourge for 1 scv and a marine.
By some miracle though, Soulkey brings the game back with a mass ling attack, saved perhaps only by Last's choice to make siege tanks. At the very least, Soulkey's hydra aggression in game 2 could have prompted Last to make the tanks.
Soulkey back in the driver's seat raises another muta flock while teching to ultras like in game 1. Soulkey after dropping the ball drops the ball once again in a disastrous ultra engagement. He sets up his ultra surround on Last's army, but the execution is botched - ultras get stuck behind other ultras. Last seizing the moment does another death push, constantly reinforcing his bio ball. Last even gets a medic wall to cage the Ultras. This time though, Soulkey manages to put a halt to the all-in after a tense back and forth few minutes. Last GGs.
Medics beating ultras
Game 4 on Gladiator:
Soulkey and Last open another 2 hatch lair vs. 1-1-1, but Soulkey deceives us all. Last runs the SCV away after confirming the lair, but Soulkey quickly cancels the lair for a quick 2 hatch hydra. The mind game is in full swing to take advantage of Last's 2 starport followup. To make matters worse, Last even lifts the factory off to the entrance of his natural. When the hydras show up, Last pulls his SCVs and has to re-lift the factory. Numerous SCVs are picked off, Soulkey gladly tanking the marine shots. Then, Soulkey does a push-in determined to kill the bunker. The bunker against all expectations stays alive, only two shots away from dying at one point.
Trying to outdo the mutas
Soulkey is thrown into a brief panic, having lost a game that couldn't have gone his way anymore. Last's wraiths pick off numerous drones as Soulkey does another hydra push. This time though, Last has tanks. Soulkey is content picking off only SCVs. Contrarily, the game's more even than previously thought. Last's SCV count is sparse, and despite losing several drones to wraiths, Soulkey remains ahead. He transitions into a mass lair army of hydras, lurkers, and lings. Soulkey destroys Last's tank push with Last conceding the game shortly after.
Game 5 on Roadkill:
Soulkey, greatly fearing an 8-rax on the close rush distances of Roadkill opens 12 hatch 11 pool, instead of the more common 13. Last meanwhile mind games Soulkey, going command center first. Soulkey was not only behind by one stretch, but two.
Soulkey's now unoptimal 3 hatch muta faces the full wrath of the +1 5-rax. Soulkey in the tenuous midgame opts for a ninja base. In a situation where he can't lose any units, he ends up throwing away half a control group of zerglings. Soulkey lacks confidence at picking off Last's marine groups letting the marine ball reinforce and grow unstoppable.
Then, Last does a siege tank push catching Soulkey by surprise. Soulkey's mutas and lings are out of position, allowing the siege tanks to go across the map uncontested. Siege tanks at Soulkey's natural force the engagement out of Soulkey. As expected, the Zerg units melt, losing the game for Soulkey.
Game 6 on Blue Storm:
Soulkey goes 2 hatch muta, but this time doesn't make a 3rd hatch, opting for 6 fast mutas. He goes up against Last, who once again does 1-1-1 and a two starport followup. Soulkey in another aggressive mind game shows the 6 mutas, but does a 2 hatch hydra followup. The perilously low economy play puts everything on the line. While the hydras are en route, Last privy to Soulkey's shenanigans has an SCV in the path, unveiling the hydras. Last positions all of his SCVs around his bunker knowing Soulkey's only option is to attack or fall behind. Soulkey's doomed attack fails as expected. In the grim aftermath, Soulkey proves to be no match for the followup push. Last advances to the finals!
Closing Thoughts:
Soulkey always appears on the precipice of the success and glory his play demands. Yet, it never quite comes, and it certainly didn't against Last. A promising player like Snow in BW's twilight years, he had a successful sc2 career afterwards. Returning to BW, he was again a rising talent. In his formative years, he brought Flash to the fifth and the series deciding game before losing. His only major achievement is taking first place at the WEGL Super Fight where he beat Flash in the semifinals. He's a ZvT prodigy and one of the very best, topping the sponsored game charts consistently above Jaedong. Yet, when the moment matters the most, Soulkey in spirit vanishes. He trembles, fears the outcome of loss, and grows unsteady, his mentality fickle.
He's not the dominant king of Zerg and top contender people believe him to be. However, where he lacks in competitive gait, he shows the promise and hopes of all competitors. The difference is that he knows he's only a hairsbreadth away. He just hasn't taken the last step though. He walks the path where the leaves are trodden. Jaedong himself took a stroll just recently. But for Soulkey, like all others, he must walk his own path in facing his challenges.
Conversely, Last, on the other side of the coin, has triumphed. When was the last time Last progressed beyond the Ro16 in an offline tournament? Sonic Starleague 10, where he came so far only to lose to Ssak. Wow, that was a long time ago. Always in the top 5 of sponsored rankings, he's never been able to replicate his online success to the offline stage. How appropriate for his opponent to be Soulkey then. In the KSL so far his play has been nothing short of gripping, displaying a remarkable performance in his mentality and series play. Here, Last has finally broken the offline curse.
The Tyrant
Introduction
Jaedong's come a long way in his journey since making his Afreeca debut on November 12, 2016. As his sc2 career petered out and his contract with Evil Geniuses was nearing its end, people wondered what his next destination would be. Of course, many could easily predict Jaedong would come back to brood war. Jaedong was already playing under the smurfs jiko and 424, and his infamous 42 game session vs. Last was the talk of the town. No one could be certain though, as Jaedong himself said he was put off that people so readily assumed he was going to play Brood War competitively. Then, all speculation was put to rest by the announcement of his first stream date. Jaedong was back.
He came back to the calling where he first made a name for himself as The Tyrant, God of Destruction, and Legend Killer. Not tired yet from his long sc2 career, it was as if the Tyrant was rejuvenated and back in his element. His debut tournament run was the ASL 2 where he performed averagely, defeating medium weights Mong and Stork. Then in a revival of a classic rivalry, he met Flash. He lost 2-3, but the games were incredibly close.
Fans held high hopes for Jaedong to rise again as a dominating player. However, his ASL 2 run would be the last time Jaedong ever reached an offline ro8. He just wasn't the same player, a tired veteran past his prime. Despite that, he still held a large following, fans loving him for who he was. Here, in the only other major offline tourney besides the ASL, Jaedong has not only outdone himself, but has reached the finals.
To quickly recap, to get to the finals, he exited his ro16 group in a close 3-2 vs. Light. He then beat Snow, and unexpectedly, 4-0'd Rain. Finally, after a long 1 year and 10 months, Jaedong is the closest to his "moment" that his fans could want. Although, his achievement goes further than what his legacy expects or what his fans merely want. 11 years since his first championship win of the 2007 OSL at age 17, Jaedong is still kicking in an industry where pros retire in their mid twenties. Jaedong has the heart of a champion, tenacity of a beast, and a fire of competition that never dies out. There's little else explaining how Jaedong, like many other ex-pros, continue playing the game, but like few others, still rise to the top. Arriving to his first offline finals after getting beaten down so many times before since his return to BW is testament to that.
Jaedong vs. Last
In all of his years, Jaedong still stays true to his style of intense micro, tempo based plays, and aggression. However, taking a closer look, he's not as ahead of the curve or perfect in his mechanics as he once was. In that same vein, Last would most likely defeat Jaedong in straight forward games online. However, that's not the game Jaedong plays in the KSL. Jaedong's offline competitive and series play, mind games, and preparation rises to prominence in the KSL's longer best of formats. His average games online just aren't perfect, but when he does get his chance on stage, he shines.
Last, known for his flowchart like play, may fall victim to such dissection by Jaedong. However, for the KSL I've seen Last come to make more proactive, and less conservative plays. Last's major fault was his lack of sense in series and offline competition, but that's been lessened by Last's achievement in coming to the finals. He's not a robot, he's a player that will take risks, like his 14 CC vs. Soulkey. He was even inventive himself, using for the first time offline the 1-1-2 strategy, getting two starports. With such confident play, he bested Soulkey, a Zerg who has been considered to be better than Jaedong.
But Jaedong isn't Soulkey, and better off in some ways. Comparing the two is only natural as both are top Zergs, and one has fallen to Last. Exactly where they differ is where Jaedong may succeed.
Compared to Soulkey, Jaedong strategically will be more open. Jaedong as seen in his games vs. Snow and Rain emphasized mostly subtle adjustments and not drastic risk taking. Soulkey's premature attacks were flawlessly scouted by the map control play of 1-1-1. However, we saw Soulkey have great success with the 2.5 hatch muta plays, starting with two hatch lair, but adding the third hatch on later. That way he could put on some aggression a bit later, but still have a great economy to fall back on. Some of Soulkey's mixed results came from mixing both hydras and mutas when other plays emphasize more one or the other. He also went for much riskier 2 hatch all-in strats instead of the less riskier 2.5 hatch. Soulkey's hyper aggression may have been a drastic adaptation to Last's 2 starport variation of 1-1-1. However, already seeing Soulkey's results, Jaedong won't make the same mistake Instead, he'll do the far more nuanced 2.5 hatch plays.
Additionally, Jaedong won't choke as easily. He's already shown us the cleanest series vs. Rain that felt more like Rain forced into making mistakes rather than Rain simply messing up. In fact, Last and Soulkey both had their mistakes. What comes to mind is Soulkey's disastrous trade of 6 mutas and a scourge for 1 SCV and marine on Fighting Spirit. That happened only for Last to lose his advantage to a followup ling attack due to making siege tanks from misreading hydras. In another game, Soulkey almost lost a practically won game on Gladiator after a failed hydra bust. And again, Soulkey did an overly ambitious hydra bust on Polaris Rhapsody. You get the point.
On a mind game level, Jaedong will be better than Soulkey's repeated aggression. Soulkey's play was very one dimensional and not a good read on Last's mindset. Jaedong will have greater knowledge and vary his plays more according to his reads. Noticing Last's habit of bunkering no matter what, Jaedong will most likely do a play that abuses Last's safety. He may even think heavily on how to abuse the 1-1-2, or even consider Last tricking him into thinking it's 1-1-2. Like vs. Rain, he'll do more deceptive plays that will play for the longer game rather than hasten to a quick end. Moreover, 1-1-1 and 2.5 hatch is the mind game central of builds where Jaedong will flourish. In that regard, the builds emphasize Jaedong's strengths all the more. Will there be hydras, mutas, a ling bust, or something else entirely?
Ultimately, Jaedong will scale back the blunders, make the right calls, perfect the micro, and go for more nuanced strategies than Soulkey's. Most importantly, he's going to read Last like a book. Jaedong's close to the gold, and I already feel he's wearing it around his neck. Jaedong's play now is a far cry from yesteryear's poor decision making and unit control slip-ups. Here he's finally playing the best he ever has like his old kespa days. The Tyrant is back.
Prediction: Jaedong 4-0 Last
After looking through Last’s history in the past 2 years, perhaps too many of us were sleeping on him. We all said that his days where he bore the nickname, “AlphaGo,” were all but over. We counted him out time and time again. Yet in the past year, Last has quietly secured very respectable placements. In the DanJJING Starleague 1 at the end of 2017, he ended up winning the entire tournament through all 3 matchups, beating Soulkey and MIsO in TvZ, Skyhigh and Mong for TvT, and BeSt in TvP. In the DanJJING Starleague 2 at the beginning of 2018, he placed second to Larva in a tight 5 game series, dodging TvP, but still showing that his TvZ and TvT were very respectable by defeating Mong and Soulkey in the bracket stage.
So why did we all suddenly start talking like Last was some low-tier player? Was it his embarrassing exit from the ASL5, where he lost his opener to MIsO, someone who no one expected would be a threat? Did his opening series against Mini in the Ro24 for this KSL leave a sour taste in everyone’s mouth? To be fair, his Ro24 did not look impressive at all, advancing only with total 6-6 record against Protoss. Furthermore, his overall KSL win-rate is sitting at a mediocre 13-10 record (56.5%) compared to that of Jaedong who is boasting a more respectable 14-7 record (66.7%). But perhaps two poor series, in the hardest matchup for Terran, shouldn’t be how we view his overall successful this past year. He might not be winning the big tournaments, but he sure has put himself in position to do it this weekend.
Playstyle:
His series against Soulkey is really the matchup I care about to analyze his gameplay. However, a quick note from his series against both Mini and Horang2 give us some indication of Last’s playstyle. His scrappy playstyle has been what has propelled him through this tournament, grinding his way out through groups and the bracket. His slow, methodical tank pushes against Protoss show both patience and calm decision-making in ensuring the highest possible outcome as he engages the enemy forces. But how does this apply to his TvZ, which he so brilliantly displayed against Soulkey? In 5/6 games, Last used the 1-1-1 build to induce a more micro-intensive, scrappy front of the game. While Soulkey did opt to play into this scrappy style, attempting all-in and aggressive builds, it must be said that Last expertly defended them during the series, aside from one slip-up in Game 3 where he didn’t wall the natural better for the mass zergling attack.
That being said, with the various forms of 1-1-1 that he showed against Soulkey, such as the 2 port wraith follow up, fast vessels, fast tanks, etc.. Last should know that Jaedong will be more than ready for these variants and should deviate from them slightly. This is not to say Last must throw his entire approach against Soulkey out the window as he prepares for Jaedong, but he must understand that whatever he has shown against Soulkey will be better defended. We have seen his tendency to go for the classic bio-tank-vessel composition, opting not to go for the more popular SK style even after a fast +1 5 rax in Game 5 on Roadkill. For someone with as good of micro as he’s had, I’m a little surprised. But with how well Jaedong’s micro has been looking this tournament, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Last take a more macro approach to this series. After all, the strength of the 1-1-1 comes through its mind-game capabilities and forcing Zergs to pick uncomfortable options. Jaedong will be much less prone to getting flustered by this build compared to weaker Zergs, not saying Soulkey is weak by any means.
Map Breakdown:
Fighting Spirit, Circuit Breaker, and Roadkill all seem like good choices for a more macro-centric style with +1 5 rax being able to control the map well in the mid-game. We saw Last have success with the build on Roadkill, and expect him to still go for the tank-style on Roadkill especially to break down those lower ramps. Of course, 1-1-1 still is a valid option on all of these maps especially on Roadkill and Fighting Spirit with a more exposed and harassable natural mineral line for wraith play.
Gladiator, while similar to Roadkill in that it has the reverse ramps, will play much different with the high ground ridges that will aid in mutalisk harassment, so 1-1-1 is probably a better option here as to not get caught walking around the map getting picked off by mutas. Not the best wraith map with relatively protected natural mineral lines and only the top left/bottom right mains being exposed in the back, so we’ll probably see him opt for a more traditional fast tech play.
Fortress is the weird map because of how the corner bases operate, so expect 2 port cloaked wraith to punish any island bases. That being said, Jaedong might expect it and opt for a very anti-wraith build. This is the map, if anything, for Last to pull some cheese out of his bag. SK Terran not a bad choice especially with the battlecruiser option becoming more and more popular to attack the corner bases.
On Blue Storm and Polaris Rhapsody, I expect 1-1-1 with good wraith play, with very exposed natural mineral lines and lots of ground to cover on the map to attack any Zerg 3rd. We saw in Game 2 vs Soulkey how wraiths are used throughout the course of the game, first scouting the Zerg, harassing, defending against overlord drops or aggressive natural breaks, and after the dust has settled, he can go ahead and sneak them into the back of a base to kill off drones while Zerg is out on the map. With how aggressive Jaedong has been with zerglings, I don’t expect anything outside of safe 1 rax play, as 8 rax and 14CC will get punished on both maps. However, don’t rule out mech on Polaris Rhapsody, as Last will want to think of something new to throw Jaedong off.
Final notes:
Last played a great series against Soulkey and should be ready to go and warmed up for this series against Jaedong. But his go-to 2 port wraith strategy will be something he can’t use as much against Jaedong. Some options he hasn’t shown as much which I do expect in the series will be a potential mixup in the 1-1-1 to dropships and vultures, mech, and more aggressive barracks openers. If Last can continue to dictate the pace of these games as he’s done for the last 3 series against Mini, Horang2, and Soulkey, he will have excellent chances to take down the Tyrant.
Jaedong's come a long way in his journey since making his Afreeca debut on November 12, 2016. As his sc2 career petered out and his contract with Evil Geniuses was nearing its end, people wondered what his next destination would be. Of course, many could easily predict Jaedong would come back to brood war. Jaedong was already playing under the smurfs jiko and 424, and his infamous 42 game session vs. Last was the talk of the town. No one could be certain though, as Jaedong himself said he was put off that people so readily assumed he was going to play Brood War competitively. Then, all speculation was put to rest by the announcement of his first stream date. Jaedong was back.
He came back to the calling where he first made a name for himself as The Tyrant, God of Destruction, and Legend Killer. Not tired yet from his long sc2 career, it was as if the Tyrant was rejuvenated and back in his element. His debut tournament run was the ASL 2 where he performed averagely, defeating medium weights Mong and Stork. Then in a revival of a classic rivalry, he met Flash. He lost 2-3, but the games were incredibly close.
Fans held high hopes for Jaedong to rise again as a dominating player. However, his ASL 2 run would be the last time Jaedong ever reached an offline ro8. He just wasn't the same player, a tired veteran past his prime. Despite that, he still held a large following, fans loving him for who he was. Here, in the only other major offline tourney besides the ASL, Jaedong has not only outdone himself, but has reached the finals.
To quickly recap, to get to the finals, he exited his ro16 group in a close 3-2 vs. Light. He then beat Snow, and unexpectedly, 4-0'd Rain. Finally, after a long 1 year and 10 months, Jaedong is the closest to his "moment" that his fans could want. Although, his achievement goes further than what his legacy expects or what his fans merely want. 11 years since his first championship win of the 2007 OSL at age 17, Jaedong is still kicking in an industry where pros retire in their mid twenties. Jaedong has the heart of a champion, tenacity of a beast, and a fire of competition that never dies out. There's little else explaining how Jaedong, like many other ex-pros, continue playing the game, but like few others, still rise to the top. Arriving to his first offline finals after getting beaten down so many times before since his return to BW is testament to that.
Jaedong vs. Last
In all of his years, Jaedong still stays true to his style of intense micro, tempo based plays, and aggression. However, taking a closer look, he's not as ahead of the curve or perfect in his mechanics as he once was. In that same vein, Last would most likely defeat Jaedong in straight forward games online. However, that's not the game Jaedong plays in the KSL. Jaedong's offline competitive and series play, mind games, and preparation rises to prominence in the KSL's longer best of formats. His average games online just aren't perfect, but when he does get his chance on stage, he shines.
Last, known for his flowchart like play, may fall victim to such dissection by Jaedong. However, for the KSL I've seen Last come to make more proactive, and less conservative plays. Last's major fault was his lack of sense in series and offline competition, but that's been lessened by Last's achievement in coming to the finals. He's not a robot, he's a player that will take risks, like his 14 CC vs. Soulkey. He was even inventive himself, using for the first time offline the 1-1-2 strategy, getting two starports. With such confident play, he bested Soulkey, a Zerg who has been considered to be better than Jaedong.
But Jaedong isn't Soulkey, and better off in some ways. Comparing the two is only natural as both are top Zergs, and one has fallen to Last. Exactly where they differ is where Jaedong may succeed.
Compared to Soulkey, Jaedong strategically will be more open. Jaedong as seen in his games vs. Snow and Rain emphasized mostly subtle adjustments and not drastic risk taking. Soulkey's premature attacks were flawlessly scouted by the map control play of 1-1-1. However, we saw Soulkey have great success with the 2.5 hatch muta plays, starting with two hatch lair, but adding the third hatch on later. That way he could put on some aggression a bit later, but still have a great economy to fall back on. Some of Soulkey's mixed results came from mixing both hydras and mutas when other plays emphasize more one or the other. He also went for much riskier 2 hatch all-in strats instead of the less riskier 2.5 hatch. Soulkey's hyper aggression may have been a drastic adaptation to Last's 2 starport variation of 1-1-1. However, already seeing Soulkey's results, Jaedong won't make the same mistake Instead, he'll do the far more nuanced 2.5 hatch plays.
Additionally, Jaedong won't choke as easily. He's already shown us the cleanest series vs. Rain that felt more like Rain forced into making mistakes rather than Rain simply messing up. In fact, Last and Soulkey both had their mistakes. What comes to mind is Soulkey's disastrous trade of 6 mutas and a scourge for 1 SCV and marine on Fighting Spirit. That happened only for Last to lose his advantage to a followup ling attack due to making siege tanks from misreading hydras. In another game, Soulkey almost lost a practically won game on Gladiator after a failed hydra bust. And again, Soulkey did an overly ambitious hydra bust on Polaris Rhapsody. You get the point.
On a mind game level, Jaedong will be better than Soulkey's repeated aggression. Soulkey's play was very one dimensional and not a good read on Last's mindset. Jaedong will have greater knowledge and vary his plays more according to his reads. Noticing Last's habit of bunkering no matter what, Jaedong will most likely do a play that abuses Last's safety. He may even think heavily on how to abuse the 1-1-2, or even consider Last tricking him into thinking it's 1-1-2. Like vs. Rain, he'll do more deceptive plays that will play for the longer game rather than hasten to a quick end. Moreover, 1-1-1 and 2.5 hatch is the mind game central of builds where Jaedong will flourish. In that regard, the builds emphasize Jaedong's strengths all the more. Will there be hydras, mutas, a ling bust, or something else entirely?
Ultimately, Jaedong will scale back the blunders, make the right calls, perfect the micro, and go for more nuanced strategies than Soulkey's. Most importantly, he's going to read Last like a book. Jaedong's close to the gold, and I already feel he's wearing it around his neck. Jaedong's play now is a far cry from yesteryear's poor decision making and unit control slip-ups. Here he's finally playing the best he ever has like his old kespa days. The Tyrant is back.
Prediction: Jaedong 4-0 Last
The Last Survivor
So why did we all suddenly start talking like Last was some low-tier player? Was it his embarrassing exit from the ASL5, where he lost his opener to MIsO, someone who no one expected would be a threat? Did his opening series against Mini in the Ro24 for this KSL leave a sour taste in everyone’s mouth? To be fair, his Ro24 did not look impressive at all, advancing only with total 6-6 record against Protoss. Furthermore, his overall KSL win-rate is sitting at a mediocre 13-10 record (56.5%) compared to that of Jaedong who is boasting a more respectable 14-7 record (66.7%). But perhaps two poor series, in the hardest matchup for Terran, shouldn’t be how we view his overall successful this past year. He might not be winning the big tournaments, but he sure has put himself in position to do it this weekend.
Playstyle:
His series against Soulkey is really the matchup I care about to analyze his gameplay. However, a quick note from his series against both Mini and Horang2 give us some indication of Last’s playstyle. His scrappy playstyle has been what has propelled him through this tournament, grinding his way out through groups and the bracket. His slow, methodical tank pushes against Protoss show both patience and calm decision-making in ensuring the highest possible outcome as he engages the enemy forces. But how does this apply to his TvZ, which he so brilliantly displayed against Soulkey? In 5/6 games, Last used the 1-1-1 build to induce a more micro-intensive, scrappy front of the game. While Soulkey did opt to play into this scrappy style, attempting all-in and aggressive builds, it must be said that Last expertly defended them during the series, aside from one slip-up in Game 3 where he didn’t wall the natural better for the mass zergling attack.
That being said, with the various forms of 1-1-1 that he showed against Soulkey, such as the 2 port wraith follow up, fast vessels, fast tanks, etc.. Last should know that Jaedong will be more than ready for these variants and should deviate from them slightly. This is not to say Last must throw his entire approach against Soulkey out the window as he prepares for Jaedong, but he must understand that whatever he has shown against Soulkey will be better defended. We have seen his tendency to go for the classic bio-tank-vessel composition, opting not to go for the more popular SK style even after a fast +1 5 rax in Game 5 on Roadkill. For someone with as good of micro as he’s had, I’m a little surprised. But with how well Jaedong’s micro has been looking this tournament, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Last take a more macro approach to this series. After all, the strength of the 1-1-1 comes through its mind-game capabilities and forcing Zergs to pick uncomfortable options. Jaedong will be much less prone to getting flustered by this build compared to weaker Zergs, not saying Soulkey is weak by any means.
Map Breakdown:
Fighting Spirit, Circuit Breaker, and Roadkill all seem like good choices for a more macro-centric style with +1 5 rax being able to control the map well in the mid-game. We saw Last have success with the build on Roadkill, and expect him to still go for the tank-style on Roadkill especially to break down those lower ramps. Of course, 1-1-1 still is a valid option on all of these maps especially on Roadkill and Fighting Spirit with a more exposed and harassable natural mineral line for wraith play.
Gladiator, while similar to Roadkill in that it has the reverse ramps, will play much different with the high ground ridges that will aid in mutalisk harassment, so 1-1-1 is probably a better option here as to not get caught walking around the map getting picked off by mutas. Not the best wraith map with relatively protected natural mineral lines and only the top left/bottom right mains being exposed in the back, so we’ll probably see him opt for a more traditional fast tech play.
Fortress is the weird map because of how the corner bases operate, so expect 2 port cloaked wraith to punish any island bases. That being said, Jaedong might expect it and opt for a very anti-wraith build. This is the map, if anything, for Last to pull some cheese out of his bag. SK Terran not a bad choice especially with the battlecruiser option becoming more and more popular to attack the corner bases.
On Blue Storm and Polaris Rhapsody, I expect 1-1-1 with good wraith play, with very exposed natural mineral lines and lots of ground to cover on the map to attack any Zerg 3rd. We saw in Game 2 vs Soulkey how wraiths are used throughout the course of the game, first scouting the Zerg, harassing, defending against overlord drops or aggressive natural breaks, and after the dust has settled, he can go ahead and sneak them into the back of a base to kill off drones while Zerg is out on the map. With how aggressive Jaedong has been with zerglings, I don’t expect anything outside of safe 1 rax play, as 8 rax and 14CC will get punished on both maps. However, don’t rule out mech on Polaris Rhapsody, as Last will want to think of something new to throw Jaedong off.
Final notes:
Last played a great series against Soulkey and should be ready to go and warmed up for this series against Jaedong. But his go-to 2 port wraith strategy will be something he can’t use as much against Jaedong. Some options he hasn’t shown as much which I do expect in the series will be a potential mixup in the 1-1-1 to dropships and vultures, mech, and more aggressive barracks openers. If Last can continue to dictate the pace of these games as he’s done for the last 3 series against Mini, Horang2, and Soulkey, he will have excellent chances to take down the Tyrant.
![[image loading]](/staff/prech/files/RaceIcons/Ticon_pastel_Hyde.png) Last vs  Jaedong |
|---|
BLinD-RawR (Jaedong 4-2) |
Seeker (Jaedong 4-3) |
Bisudagger (Last 4-0) |
v1 (Jaedong 4-1) |
FlaShFTW (Jaedong 4-3) |
HaN (Jaedong 4-3) |
Bigfan (Last 4-0) |
Desmond1
20 Posts
Cricketer12
United States13949 Posts
Waxangel
United States32963 Posts
sM.Zik
Canada2543 Posts
Jaedong 4-3 Last
Holint_Casazr
Germany72 Posts
The_Red_Viper
19533 Posts
3nickma
Denmark1510 Posts
HaN-
France1919 Posts
On September 08 2018 02:59 3nickma wrote:
Just to be perfectly clear and avoid any time zone confusions the match starts at 9.30 CEST (Denmark time) tomorrow right?
Just to be perfectly clear and avoid any time zone confusions the match starts at 9.30 CEST (Denmark time) tomorrow right?
Correct.
The_Red_Viper
19533 Posts
Oh then i gotta change liquipedia, it says 12:00 CEST atm
StarscreamG1
Portugal1652 Posts
Cricketer12
United States13949 Posts
On September 08 2018 02:57 The_Red_Viper wrote:
Everybody with a soul and heart wants JD to win this, so he won't.
Everybody with a soul and heart wants JD to win this, so he won't.
Ftfy
The_Red_Viper
19533 Posts
At least you agree with the first statement, that's something
Desmond1
20 Posts
Rodya
546 Posts
Last week was test day for Jaedong and he passed, so now he should have a safe time in the finals right? But no I think Last will force it to game 7 where Jaedong will rally and crush Last with some prepared strategy.
Kurao
215 Posts
kaspa84
Brazil163 Posts
Jealous
10077 Posts
Might not?
SlayerS_BunkiE
Canada1706 Posts
Game 7 please
polgas
Canada1720 Posts
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